Background COVID-19 has led to government enforced ‘lockdown’ in the UK severely limiting face-to-face patient interaction. Virtual consultations present a means for continued patient access to health care. Our aim was to evaluate the use of virtual consultations (VCons) during lockdown and their possible role in the future. Methods An anonymous survey was disseminated to UK and European plastic surgeons via social media, email sharing and via the European Association of Societies of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery newsletter. Uptake of VCons, modality, effectiveness, safety and future utility were assessed. Results Forty-three senior plastic surgeons responded to the survey. The majority of the respondents (97.7%) reported using VCons during COVID-19 lockdown, of which 74.4% had no prior experience. Two-thirds of surgeons utilised commercial platforms such as Zoom, FaceTime and Skype, 38.1% of respondents did not know about or were unsure about adequate encryption for health care use, and just under a half (47.6%) reported they were unaware of or lacking GDPR compliance. Most (97.6%) say they are likely to use virtual consultations after lockdown. Conclusion Virtual consultations have had a crucial role in patient care during UK lockdown. It is clear that they will serve as an adjunct to face-to-face consultation in the future. Further regulation is required to ensure platforms offer adequate safety and security measures and are compliant with relevant data protection laws. Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 . Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00266-020-01932-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

No abstract

The natural history of the diabetic foot is aggressive and complex. To counteract this, we describe the transformation of a Multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Clinic into a Multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Day Unit, which delivers an emergency open access system for patients, with a "one-stop," same day service in which investigations are performed, results reviewed and treatment implemented. It also provides joint clinics with vascular, orthopaedic, and plastic surgeons and specialized clinics for casting of complex neuropathic feet and for the administration of intravenous or intramuscular antibiotics on the same day. The aim was to document these increasingly wide-ranging facilities by undertaking a retrospective evaluation over a 6-week period, with analysis of notes, investigations, and an anonymous patient satisfaction survey. The clinic was visited by 597 patients who attended in 1076 appointments, of which 112 (10.4%) were emergency visits; these patients attended the clinic without a booked appointment but via an open access policy, 93 of whom were known to the clinic, but 19 were new self-referred patients to the service. Furthermore, 197 (18%) were seen in a Joint Vascular Diabetic Foot Clinic and 98 (9%) were seen in a Joint Orthopaedic Plastic Diabetic Foot Clinic, 570 (53%) were seen in an Active Ulcer Clinic and 97 (9%) in a Total Contact Casting Clinic. Forty-five percent of patients were prescribed antibiotics, including 188 (76%) as oral and 45(18%) as intravenous antibiotics and 15(6%) as intramuscular injections. Of the 1076 appointments, 150 (14%) patients were in the foot clinic for more than 4 hours. Sixty (10%) patients were reviewed 4 or more times over the 6-week period. Only 22 (2%) were admitted to hospital. Of the 125 survey responders, 98% were satisfied with this service, which has evolved from a Diabetic Foot Clinic into a Multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Day Unit.

No abstract

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the table of contents or the online instructions to authors www.springer.com/00266 .

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract